You are flying over the Bavarian Forest;  you see a huge timber and steel egg ahead of you – what is it –  is it something from Jurassic Park, popping up beyond the tree cover?

The egg is a tree tower, designed by the architect Josef Stöger and engineer WIEHAG GmbH as a unique and imaginative structural centrepiece of the tree walk in the forest, enclosing three old and tall fir and beech trees within the 16 arched glued laminated timber girders, each over 40 m long, supporting the 44 metre high viewing platform, reached by a long circular ramp which, at a gradient of 6 degrees, is accessible by wheelchairs and baby buggies.

Rising by stairs or lift to the 1,300 long walkway (including the tower) which runs at 8 to 25 m high through the beech, fir and spruce trees, the visitor is engaged with the forest and its wildlife along the way with displays and activities, ending at the exhibition on man and nature at the Hans Eisenmann Visitors Centre.  The longest walkway in the world, it is supported on 27 supporting structures of timber and steel, blending with the forest and complimenting the egg.

Built in 2009, the restrictions of modern timber are now highlighted.  Centuries ago, the timbers would have been seasoned for decades and would have lasted for similar periods,  Today, there is little time for seasoning and the timbers are replaced as they crack and decay with the extremes of rain, sun and ice that they experience in this exposed location.

An exemplary way to attract visitors of all ages into the natural environment of the forest and give them an understanding of the natural world that surrounds them.